Meet Me At The Center
Portland Center Stage, Portland, Oregon 2023
Emblematic of Portland Center Stage's role as a refuge and source of inspiration for the greater Portland community, Meet Me At The Center celebrates diversity and the dynamic energy generated by an exchange of ideas and a shared experience.
Meet Me At The Center, 2023
installation view - each panel 6.25 feet x 10 feet x 1.75 inches
digital prints, paint, paper, and thread collaged on canvas and wood panels
Meet Me At The Center (Star)
Images from nature illustrate residents and the ways that their lives intersect. Symbolizing our uniqueness as individuals along with our common humanity, this piece hopes to show how we can respect the beauty within each other while discovering the greater magnitude of beauty possible when we join together.
Meet Me At The Center (Flowers)
Based on flowers from different countries and states, flower icons represent Portlanders from all over the world.
Stitched lines are our connections - as family, as colleagues, as neighbors, etc. In coffee shops, schools and grocery stores, our paths converge often. Blue lines are the warp and weft of the social fabric. Yellow lines form a stylized helix, referencing DNA and our shared genetic heritage.
Lines come from all directions to form a star– a metaphor for a community filled with light, warmth, and vitality.
Seeming to continue beyond the frame, the lines suggest the infinite possibilities of collective action.
Symmetry throughout the artwork depicts the idea of reflection and how we are reflected in one another.
Echoing our physical symmetry, so that viewers can see themselves inside the piece.
Photos: Stephen Funk
Funded in part by the Regional Arts and Culture Council
Panels by Oddshape Art Solutions
